Chapter 77
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Chapter 77: Disappointment
This stall was very special.
All that lay on the ground were books, stacked in layers and piles, with at least several hundred volumes.
Among the many stalls selling a chaotic mix of items, this was a refreshing sight.
The stall owner was a thin young loose cultivator.
Seeing Wang Chen lingering in front of his stall, he immediately forced a big smile, saying, “Fellow traveler, do you like books? I have all kinds of books here!”
All kinds of books?
Wang Chen crouched down and asked, “Can I take a look?”
The young loose cultivator raised three fingers, saying, “You can only look at the first three pages.”
Wang Chen nodded in agreement with the rule.
Cultivators had much better memories than ordinary people; having a photographic memory was common among them. If allowed to browse freely, these books would not sell at all.
In fact, the young man’s business was quite bleak, and no one had come by.
Most people at the market were Loose Cultivators and low-level sect disciples. Their daily training was already very difficult, so who had the leisure to spend spirit stones on books?
Moreover, there was also a bookstore in Yunshan City, where the selection truly was comprehensive!
Wang Chen then picked up a thick book.
He saw the cover bore the title “Nine Transformations of Yunlong” in large letters!
Wang Chen: “……”
Any disciple of the Yunyang Sect would know about the “Nine Transformations of Yunlong.”
This was the sect’s treasured secret manual, said to be created by the founder of Yunyang, incredibly vast and profound.
This technique pointed toward the path of the Nascent Soul, and only the sect master’s disciples could receive its true teachings!
How could such an important manual end up on a market stall?
Wait!
Wang Chen focused closely and immediately spotted the issue.
It wasn’t “Nine Transformations of Yunlong,” but rather “Nine Transformations of Yuyou!”
The character "Yuyou" was written in a wild style, making it hard to notice at first glance.
It was a high-quality counterfeit book!
“This book is not for sale.”
The young loose cultivator, quick-witted, snatched the “Nine Transformations of Yuyou” and tucked it behind himself, smiling apologetically. “Fellow traveler, what book do you want to buy? I can help you pick one.”
Such a knockoff technique manual could only fool someone inexperienced. Wang Chen wore the disciple badge of the Yunyang Sect; he wasn’t someone this young loose cultivator could offend!
The young loose cultivator looked around furtively and said sneakily, “I also have illustrated copies of Nine-Tailed Tortoise, Wanderers’ Cave, Mad Old Woman, Apricot Blossom Sky, and Petals in Hair…”
“Stop!”
Wang Chen felt a headache coming on. “I don’t need your recommendations; I’ll choose for myself.”
What on earth is all this…
If it weren’t for practicing the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method, he would have bought everything!
Wang Chen asked, “How much spirit fragment per pound for the books here?”
The young loose cultivator was stunned. “Huh?”
Can books even be sold by the pound?
Wang Chen smiled and said, “Never mind, how many spirit fragments per book?”
In his past life, Wang Chen had indeed bought many street market books at nine per pound, filling a large bookshelf.
The young loose cultivator scratched his head, “Four, how about three spirit fragments?”
He suddenly thought Wang Chen’s method was quite fair, as books vary in thickness; selling them by weight seemed the most equitable.
“Alright then.”
Wang Chen didn’t bother to haggle.
Though this young cultivator seemed a bit shady, some of the books he displayed were quite impressive.
After some careful selection, Wang Chen picked out a total of fifty books.
These books included travelogues written by cultivators and records about monsters and Evil Spirits.
Wang Chen even found a notebook of casual talks by a Purple Palace master among them!
It must have been compiled by a descendant of that master.
These books wouldn’t help Wang Chen improve his strength, but they could broaden his knowledge and understanding.
Who knows when they might come in handy!
As for books related to techniques, Wang Chen didn’t even have the interest to flip through them.
Because almost all the technique manuals sold at street stalls were counterfeit or flawed editions, with genuine ones being one in a thousand!
Finally, after settling the bill, he ended up spending fifty spirit fragments.
After paying for the books, Wang Chen stood up and prepared to leave.
The young loose cultivator suddenly leaned in and whispered, “Fellow traveler, I have a treasure map here…”
Wang Chen couldn’t be bothered and left him behind.
A treasure map?
That was definitely something even more deceptive than technique manuals!
It was said that many demon cultivators liked to use treasure maps as bait, copying hundreds of them to spread around. When inexperienced cultivators, thinking they had struck gold, hurried over, they would capture them, using cruel methods to drain their spirits.
The map could very well be real, pointing to the cultivating caves left behind by some master or even a true cultivator.
But inside, aside from traps, there would likely be no treasures at all!
And these streetwise experiences were all things Wang Shaoyuan had told the original owner.
As for the young loose cultivator trying to sell the treasure map,
whether he meant ill or not, Wang Chen had already blacklisted him.
He continued to wander around the market for nearly half an hour, purchasing some everyday necessities.
Then he headed back home.
He still took the Dragon Scale Horse carriage for the journey.
A long line of carriages waited by the roadside; once one was filled, it departed, and the next one immediately took its place to pick up more passengers.
It was quite similar to the bus system from Wang Chen’s previous life.
Among his fellow passengers were several elder cultivators.
They chatted and laughed along the way, appearing very happy.
Every face radiated joy and contentment.
Although this year had not been very smooth overall,
a large portion of the spirit fields had suffered pest disasters during the summer, and the gray-eyed thieves had caused unrest in the countryside.
However, these troubles had been resolved by the sect.
The harvest of the second crop of rice in early winter was quite good, allowing everyone to finally breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to a prosperous New Year.
There had also been heavy snowfall recently.
As the saying goes, “A timely winter snow foretells a good year ahead,” next year would surely be better.
As for happiness, one could compare it to the lives of those Loose Cultivators; theirs were truly miserable!
Everyone murmured in agreement.
Then one elder mentioned that his youngest son had joined a pioneering team a few months ago.
Not only had this saved the family the rent for ten acres of spirit fields, but just the other day, he also returned with earnings and rewards from his pioneering work, even raising his cultivation level!
The crowd expressed envy and jealousy.
Several elder women eagerly inquired about the child’s marriage prospects, promoting their daughters and nieces.
The elder smiled broadly, his heart full of hope for the days to come!
Suddenly, someone in the corner muttered, “I heard that rent is going to increase next year.”
The surroundings instantly fell silent.
The rumor about next year’s rent hike, no one knew where it originated, had spread across the area recently.
People could hardly believe it.
Currently, most spiritual plant farmers and tenants paid seventy-five percent of their earnings to the sect.
That meant submitting seventy-five pounds of spiritual grains for every hundred pounds harvested.
The twenty-five pounds of grains reserved for themselves were not much.
If the rent increased to eighty percent or even higher, it would be difficult for everyone to fill their bellies with spiritual grains.
Although cheaper tribute rice could also stave off hunger, if there wasn’t enough reserved spiritual grain to eat, how could there be any left to exchange for the resources needed for cultivation?
If there were any more incidents next year…
A shadow cast over everyone’s hearts, and they all lost interest in talking.
It was too disheartening.
Inside the carriage, only the sound of wheels grinding over the stone road could be heard.
